On the post about our minivan, one of my readers, who lives in Finland, commented and said that she was happy to see that we still keep Little Buddy rear-facing in his car seat. She explained to me that in Sweden, parents typically keep their children rear-facing until age four, and sometimes longer.
From what I understand, there is no Swedish law preventing kids from being flipped around before age four. Swedes just know that rear-facing is safer.
In recent years, there has been a push in the United States to encourage parents to keep their kids rear-facing for as long as their car seats will allow. While some seats are only rated for rear-facing up to 35 or 40 pounds, others can go up to 50.
Little Buddy is still rear-facing, even thought he is two, and I like the idea of waiting until he hits the rear-facing weight limit on his seat before flipping him.
With all of this considered, I thought I would pose a discussion question: When did those of you who are parents or caregivers switch your children from rear to forward-facing?
I am in the U.K., and kept my son rear-facing until he was four. We used the Britax Two-Way Elite, which was a strap-in rather than isofix seat, as my car at the time wasn’t suitable for isofix.
I did a lot of research about rear-facing when he was a baby, and decided to keep him rear-facing as long as possible. People did comment on whether he was comfy when his legs grew longer…and he was! He loved it, and preferred having his legs like that, to dangling over the seat. I always had a mirror attached to the headrest so he could see us. He is 7 now, and all that seems a lifetime ago!
Hello! I’m sure this will draw some very sharp criticism, but as the mother of 5 children…some older, some quite young, I am all for safety, but what I believe people have not thought thru is that if a car is involved in an accident & the impact is so great, it could ruin that child’s legs as they cud be possibly pushed up into their bodies? B/c their legs of course are longer the older they get! Something I have always thought about & pondered why some states think it’s so safe.
Probably because legs can be more easily fixed than brains and spines which take the brunt of a forward facing crash. Kids are flexible and their legs generally aren’t rigid in their seat, so they’re free to move with the impact of the crash, at least as much as the seat restraints let them. Maybe you’re taking your thinking from the warning that’s been around not to put your feet up on the dash when in the front passenger seat, which can injure both your legs and face if the airbag deploys. I think the odds of that kind of rear impact (given that there’s usually a trunk or cargo space separating the other car from the back seat) are rare. Seats can’t protect against everything, but the point of rear facing is that it takes a lot of pressure off the neck, spine, and if I recall correctly, even the ribcage area (preventing internal bleeding), which are all far more deadly areas. My first was probably at least two (and that was before this was promoted so heavily), and I waited even longer for my second. They’ll complain if they’re uncomfortable!
Yeah, you got me there. I have not ever heard of any scientific evidence that forward facing could be safer than rear facing. Not even when a car gets hit from behind, because typically when that happens speed is lower and both cars move in the same direction. In a frontal crash, however, speed is more often a lot higher and cars move towards each other so there is a lot more force involved. Of course a rear facing child can get injured in a car crash too, but the injuries are usually a lot less severe than those of a forward facing child. The argument of broken legs is one you hear a lot. To that I have only one thing to say: I would take broken legs over a broken neck any day, simply because a broken leg can (usually) heal but it is a lot worse with a broken neck.
Well the argument for that is its better to have damage to the legs than the neck and spinal damage caused by forward facing too young. Its difficult you dont want to risk damage to the legs. But its better than dying or paralization. I understand your concerns though,
We flipped our kids to forward facing around age 2. It became difficult to attend to their needs when they were rear facing. I couldn’t hand them a drink or a dropped toy. They also couldn’t see out the window, making them more likely to get fussy on long car trips, and more prone to falling asleep. These are all more about convenience than safety, but even forward facing car seats are very safe for children.
I also found when I was pregnant with my second, it was too difficult to lift my 2 year old into the rear facing car seat. The forward facing one she climbed into by herself.
I agree with you Nicole.
I agree with Nicole. My fussy child screamed ALL THE TIME until I turned the car seat and finally my child could see me and have a bit of interaction and everything was great. It is good to be rear- facing if you have a calm child or maybe older kids who can entertain the little one but if it is all on mom then you want whatever is the least distracting.
I totally agree. Front facing by age two. It almost seems cruel to me to face them toward a seat. They need to see. And I would think that the risk of car sickness would be greater if they ride backwards.
I would say if your child handles it well and you think it’s safer than do it. Personally I don’t see why it’s safer. If they are strapped in they should be fine. I have had several very fussy car babies and as soon as I have them forward facing they actually enjoy the car ride so it’s a case of surviving the otherwise screaming car ride for me!
I totally agree, Mim!
I am the one who originally commented on Ellie’s post about their new car. Our three kids have been rear facing until between 5,5 and 6,5 years. We actually live in Finland, but we are Swedish speaking Finns and relate a lot to Sweden. Out of the Scandinavian countries Sweden is where extended rear facing is most common. Ellie is right, there are no laws in Sweden nor Finland that says kids has to be kept rear facing to a certain age. The law only says that a kid has to sit in an approved car seat until 135 cm (about 53 inches). There are European regulations for car seats, but unfortunately there are approved forward facing seats for children as young as 9 months. Things are changing though and there is a new standard called I-size that says children must be rear facing until 15 months old or 105 cm (I think). This is fairly new and our youngest is eight, so I am not entirely sure. That is not enough, but it is a step in the right direction. Rear facing is recommended by the National Society for road in Sweden and the Finnish road safety council until 4-5 years old. Especially Sweden has been very forward in this issue with Volvo working hard on car safety in general and also car seat safety. Sweden recommended rear facing as early as in the 70’s and 80’s.
That’s very interesting, Netta. Thank you for sharing. So sorry that I said you were from Sweden. I’m very grateful that you mentioned extended rear-facing to me a few months ago. If it weren’t for you, I might have flipped Little Buddy around by now.
Ellie
No worries about the Sweden thing :-). At least you didn’t put me in Russia, our eastern neighbour ;-). Maybe it’s like calling an American Canadian?! Anyway, I’m not offended in any way. I am very happy to hear than I was of help, it means I actually made a difference this time. I’m going to tell my husband, although he basically shares my opinion on rear facing he sometimes think I exaggerate a bit…
I flipped my oldest around a little after 3 when the weight was appropriate, however in my husband’s car the seat was flipped sooner as it was not able to sit flat in his new vehicle but that was at age 3 as well
I used to switch right around 1 year of age, but with the emergence of new guidlines, my Little One is almost 2 yrs and still rear facing. ☺ I’m not sure how long she will stay this way. They do sleep much more comfortably in a rear facing seat as it is slightly reclined. I don’t know if you’ve every watched a child try to nap in a forward facing seat… it usually looks like they will get a bad crick in their neck.
Hi Ellie! How are you?
With our little ones, it was different for each. Our daughter is very petite and even at the age of four, she is barley 40 lbs. We just switched her to forward facing on her bday when she turned four. Our son is two and he is 40 lbs, but we are waiting a couple more months before we turn him forward. We asked him and he doesn’t want to get turned around!
Funny experience from a friend who has six children. When she began turning her kids from rear facing to forward facing, half of her children got car sick (those who switched from rear to front facing) and the other half did not. Even now, with all of her children being either tweens or teenagers, half of them suffer from carsickness on long trips and half don’t!
I’m doing well. Thank you for asking! How are you? That’s a funny store you shared. Carsickness in little kids sure would be difficult to deal with. Lots of messes. Yikes.
And it sounds like your son must be built like mine. Do you have back pain from carrying him around? I do…
I’m doing well, Ellie 🙂
Yes, my friend told me that she had lots of messes to clean up in her car over the years. She would keep lots of extra towels and ‘vomit bags’ in her car. She also made sure that they didn’t have full bellies before trips and always filled cups with chipped ice for them to ‘snack’ on, instead of food.
Yes, my little guy is built quite sturdy! My back doesn’t hurt, but I do get shoulder pain on and off. He always wants to be carried and held and while it can be trying at times, I hold him as much as I can, as I know he won’t be little forever and we don’t know if we’ll be blessed with another baby.
We’ve been praying for you guys in growing your family! 🙂
Thank you so much for praying for us! I agree that it’s so important to savor the “little” years. 🙂
Hi Ellie! We switched all of our daughters to forward facing when they turned a year old. They were happy to see everything and us.😊
Why don’t you contact your nearest state police headquarters? They usually have a drive-in program that checks car seats (for installation, integrity, etc.) and I’m sure they could give you the best information anywhere. They know all the state laws, plus they’ve seen the aftermath of accidents.
I switched all my kids to forward facing as soon as it was legal to do so because of car sickness! I just couldn’t stand the fussing or the vomit…
My youngest was 2 when I flipped her and my two oldest they were 1 . I flipped her to forward facing layer due to her size and new recommendations .
With my oldest we turned him forward facing close two years old. My youngest will be two in May and he is still rear facing but he is still comfortable sitting rear facing. We changed our oldest around when we did because he was complaining about being uncomfortable. I’ll keep my youngest rear facing for as long as he can be two.
All you need is this website: thecarseatlady.com
AND
How-to videos on YouTube from thecarseatlady
She will expertly explain and answer any question you could ever have about kids and car seats. From newborn to about 12 years old there’s a lot to know about safely getting around in a car.
I actually feel guilty if I go for convenience over what I’ve learned from Debbi (the car seat lady) and people like Netta who wrote in to Ellie.
Thanks, Ellie for having such a valuable conversation with your readers!
Ellie found this online it said if your kid is 20pounds he should be put in front facing seat. This was for Nashville Tennessee. It was dated Jane 2021.
Sorry suppose to say Jan at the end not Jane
Tennessee law says kids can forward face at age 1 and 20 pounds (not that they have to). However laws have not kept up to date with best practice – many state car seat laws are in serious need of an update. For example, Tennessee car seat laws were last updated in 2004.
The American Academy of Pediatrics best practice (last updated in 2018) recommends the following
‘Children should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, up to the limits of their car safety seat. This will include virtually all children under 2 years of age and most children up to age 4.’
We have waited until 4 to switch our kids! Our car seats have been rated for 40″ or 40 lbs before turning them around, and I know that with their bone structure it’s important to keep them that way. They’ve been perfectly happy to stay rear-facing!
Ellie-
From reading some of your blog entries, you seem controlling to me. If you have the faith you claim to have, do you need to be so controlling about every single detail?
Just curious. Not saying a mom can ignore nutrition and safety, but wow, will you ever be able to let your son make choices as he gets older.
For the record, I am the mom of two boys.
Thank you for your concern for my son’s well-being. Yes, I do believe that God is 100% in control and that He has a plan for my child’s life. I believe He calls parents to make good decisions to keep their kids safe, especially young children who don’t yet have the ability to keep themselves safe.
Rear facing til we max the weight limits. We are age 3 and still rear facing
My first child I turned around at one, but my second one who came along 15+ years later was almost four before they were turned around. The recommendations changed between my first child and second one.
We changed my daughters seat when she was 2 years, 7 months. Same as some commenters, she was complaining of being uncomfortable and it was a fight to get her in the seat every time. She was within the height and weight range, so technically it was “safe” but I would still prefer her to be rear facing. I left her in her infant seat until she reached the max height/weight for it.
The data is clear. I hope that more pediatricians will learn about this and advise parents accordingly. My daughter is very tall for her age (99th percentile). Shortly after turning two she started telling me that her legs hurt and would repeatedly kick the seat & fuss while rear facing. Then, she started refusing to get in altogether. So, I had to switch her to forward facing. She’s not even two-and-a-half. I wish she were still rear-facing.
I’m surprised that so many parents are letting their little children dictate what they do, especially when it comes to their safety:-(
@Melanie, I guess that (in this case) it’s because driving and paying good attention to the trafic is very difficult and can become seriously dangerous with a fussy child in the car. Obviously more risky than switching your child to foward facing.
@Ellie, We switched our children to foward facing when they became to tall for their baby car seats. (I thouhgt that nowdays a childs lenght is determing wheter they need an other car seat and not their weight) The oldest was 15 months old, the youngest 10 or 11 months. If our car would have been bigger and would have had isofix, we would have bought a rear-facing toddler car seat, but it simply wasn’t an option. (I’m not sure if it’s true that all cars in America are bigger than most cars in Europe, but I think our particular car is much smaller than most cars you’ll see in the US, I live in the Netherlands).